BP Removes Cap From Well, Aiming for a Tighter Fit
NEW ORLEANS — Technicians removed a containment cap atop BP’s out-of-control well in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, beginning an ambitious engineering effort that could fully contain the huge oil leak but will also make matters worse, at least temporarily.
If all goes as planned, said Kent Wells, a BP senior vice president in charge of the effort, a tighter-fitting cap will be installed by the middle of this week.
But Mr. Wells, speaking at a briefing in Houston, said contingency plans were ready in case the installation was unsuccessful. And even if a new cap is installed, there will be a period of several days or more in which the well is uncapped and more oil gushes into the gulf.
Mr. Wells expressed confidence that the new approach — the latest in a string of engineering efforts, many of which have failed — would succeed. “In four to seven days, we’ll have that sealing cap in place,” he said
Another week of unimpeded flow into the Gulf. This is just unbelievable…